T(r)ucking Good Food

After a stranded walk along the ocean, up the hill, past the shrubs and moss filled walls, the smells guided us down the hill to what looked like a crowded rest area for trailers, but, the smells said something else. Good Food.

Off The Grid is a weekly food truck affair at the parking lot of Fort Mason, San Francisco.

The next couple of minutes saw me breezing down the long flight of stairs even as the fog filled San Francisco air walloped across my face. I was greeted by smoky flavors from grilled meat on a 5 foot long skillet, and that, was the beginning of the chow fest!

We decided to follow the ‘longer the line, better the food’ mantra and stood in line for twenty long minutes for the dumplings which were worth running back to the end of the line for a second round! The hot and juicy dumplings with minced chicken and cilantro filling bathed in soy sauce (by us) justified the long wait.

Our Indian origin made us skip the Indian street chow, even as crowds thronged the truck. We made up for skipping that in less than a minute as we joined the long line to taste the grub from The Taco Guys. It had to be their popular Maui fish taco – yet another dish that more than justified the wait. The fish was fresh and lightly seasoned (just the way seafood should be) and the salad that went in with it packed a punch of flavors giving every bite the right amount of fresh fish and tang.

We couldn’t have missed the star of the night – the pork buns at ‘The Chairman’ truck, and, I am glad we did not. The perfectly marinated veggies sit pretty inside the fluffy bun and the flavors pop in the mouth even as the bun is toning them down to perfection.

After a nibble (well, more than a nibble) here and there, we dutifully marched to the Crème Brulee truck, went for the classic vanilla, and, as that spoonful of ecstasy smothered against our taste buds, we had long forgotten the purpose of our existence. We were born to eat THIS. How could there be a purpose more essential than that?